Lake front house-sitting, animal care and general smallholding (homestead) help in Shiga

Details

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  Description

  We are a family of five who live in Shiga on the shores of Biwa Lake, in Japan.
  Our house is right in front of a lovely, family-friendly beach where you can enjoy a number of different watersports, It is also next to mountains that offer great hiking and skiing in winter.
  Although we live in the countryside, we are only 45 minutes by local train to Kyoto city.
  My background is in sustainable development which I graduated in and now teach at university, and much of the work we offer involves our efforts to live as sustainable as possible.
  We live in a self-build eco house with smallholding (homestead) type of grounds. We have vegetable plots, goats, chickens, which together take a lot of our time to look after, especially in the summer.
  We are mostly looking for help with gardening, animal care, and general outdoor help, which will also include garden/animal sitting at times when we are away.
  Recently we have been renovating a farmhouse and barn in a mountain village 25 minutes from our house. They come with three acres of land which we will also start to manage by adding fruit trees, reforesting and general small-scale farming.
  If you are interested being involving with this project set in a beautiful village that offers spectacular mountain views, we could discuss this based on what needs to be done around the time of your planned stay, your experience, etc.
  Much of the outdoor work, especially in summer will be quite physical and dirty (sweaty) - please be prepared.
  I'm a native English speaker with basic Japanese.
  My wife is fluent in English, Japanese and Korean.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  I'm from the UK, my wife is from Japan but is Korean. We are always happy to meet people from any culture.

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  Help

  During the summer months most of the work will involve smallholding land management; cutting grass, clearing waterways, weeding, wood cutting - all private (non-profit/non-business) activities.
  
  If we are planning to be away for a few days, we may need Workawayers to take care of the animals (goats , chickens, rabbits and turtle, a bird and fish) and if it is summer, to water the vegetable plots and garden area.
  
  We are looking for Workawayers to provide around an average of 3~4 hours of work per day in return for accommodation. Days off or adjustments in work hours each day can be worked out between us as needed.
  
  During the summer we have very high humidity and temperatures so the work can be very physically challenging - please be prepared.
  
  Non-smoking tidy persons would be appreciated.

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent

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  Accommodation

  We have a self-contained annex flat which we mostly use for Air B'n'B but which we block off and use for Workawayer accommodation when needed. There is a small kitchen, shower, washing machine.
  It is next to our family house and a smaller house which is also used Air b'n'b accommodation.
  While we enjoy meeting and spending time with new workawayers, because of family and work, there may be days when we might not be able to mix socially.
  We always aim though to have workawayers over for a shared family meal for at least one evening during their stay.

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  What else ...

  Our house is right in front of a lovely, family-friendly beach where you can enjoy a number of different watersports, It is also next to mountains that offer great hiking and skiing in winter.
  Although we live in the countryside, we are only 45 minutes by local train to Kyoto city.
  Our local train station is 5 minutes away from our house and has 2 to 3 trains every hour.
  As our place is in a rural area so shopping might feel a little restricted. There is a big shopping center and other stores 5 stops away (JR Katata) or a local supermarket 3 stops away (JR Wani) from our train station (5 minutes on foot from our house).
  In the village, there is also a small local general store that offers basic groceries and a number of small local places to eat out, which we can give you details of when you arrive.
  There is also a 24-hour convenience store about 10 minutes bike ride away.
  For those who enjoy outdoor sports, there is a Biwako Valley ski resort just 20 minutes away by local train and bus.
  In summer, the cable car provides a great day out on the summit of Mt Hira.
  You can enjoy swimming, kayaking, and SUPing after your work and right in front of our house.
  A five minutes bus ride or 15 minutes cycle away, there is also an ONSEN (hot spring) and excellent hiking trails.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  We have very fast, reliable internet.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  We have parking space for a camper van.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  An average of 2 hours a day (15 hours/week- no food), animal sitting

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